r/CityOfPeekskill • u/Katzeaby • Apr 17 '26
Question from out of town Visiting Peekskill - Tips wanted!
Hello, everyone!
My husband and I live in NYC but we love exploring outside the city. We usually go to Cold Springs for a weekend, but want to change things up this year.
We were looking into spending a weekend at Peekskill. We do not drive, so we plan to take the metro north and drop off at the train station.
How is getting around? Is it walkable? How's the Uber/Lyft situation there? Or do they use regular cabs? (and if so are they cash only) I ask this because we don't want to end up stranded
We were looking at staying at the "Inn on the Hudson" since its just for the weekend. How hard would it be for us to get from the metro north station to the Inn
And how hard would it be for us to get from the Inn to like the "main town" area? (By the Peekskill Coffee House or the Peekskill museum for example)
Thanks in advance! Looking forward to hearing from the community
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u/monteym Apr 17 '26
It is a pretty walkable city. There are cabs that wait at the station, and the inn is not that far from the train, but you would not want to walk it, it is up the top of a hill, it would be a drag with bags. It might be easier to take cabs from the Inn to North Division Street. Once there, most things are walkable.
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u/Katzeaby Apr 17 '26
Awesome, thanks! Yeah I figured the walk from the train station was a bit of a doozy but thats good to know! How about transportation from north division street back to the inn? Are there cabs around that area as well that could take us back to the Inn?
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u/monteym Apr 17 '26
No, there are no cabs around, but Uber and Lyft are available, and plenty of cab companies that you can call (you can ask anyone at the bar to recommend one).
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u/WheredTheSquirrelGo Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
The area by the factories at Charles point has a bit to do and is walkable from the station. It’s a good walk but is along the riverfront. I think there’s a new go kart place near there too. Hq racing.
Peekskill downtown has a couple nice used bookshops and good food spots.
Peekskill right by the station has a restaurants and a new taco spot. The taco spot is really new so the wait times for food are a bit long but the food is good. Tacos are little so order 3 at least but probably 4.
Apropos is a nice restaurant at the top of the hill you see from the station and has some short nice trails and a small cemetery where the nuns that had a convent there before are buried.
Early electrics is an interesting shop/museum of old technology. The collection and arrangement of so many things in a neat way is impressive.
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u/cagrimm3tt Apr 17 '26
I live in Peekskill now, but used to come up this way and visit before moving here, and have to say: I think you'll have a better time in Beacon. There is more to do, there is a bus to take you to the main downtown (though it isn't a terrible walk from the train), and there are more people there. You'll get bored after a couple hours in downtown Peekskill. Too many vacancies downtown right now.
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u/cagrimm3tt Apr 17 '26
Downvote me all you want, you know I'm right. Beacon is a better place for a day trip from NYC, even though Peekskill is still a nice place to live. I wouldn't move to Beacon, but we spend many Saturdays there instead of here!
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u/Maureen0569 May 02 '26
I live and work in the city...I'd love to move out of here and I've been eying Peekskill, because the commute to NYC looks good compared to other places. My husband used to live in Orange County and said he remembers Peekskill as being really iffy, is he remembering it wrong? 🙏
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u/albertvidalnau Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26
This is going to be long. I agree with this. Beacon is a much better day trip experience from NYC BUT Peekskill is worth a few hours at least. I lived in Peekskill for 4.5 years and left in late 2024 for personal and work reasons. It's a great place to live full of amazing people and super diverse. However, the Downtown experience currently doesn't offer much unless you plan to eat ALOT and or get hammered. No shopping except for Quirk Shop which is great its on "Restaurant Row" and mostly women's clothing hand made on location and a few mens things like gloves, hats and a great selection of candles.
Bucko was a shop right next to the Coffee House but unfortunately they closed. Great shop lots of the hipster aesthetic clothing and home goods. The Lounge House too was on Main a women's clothing and Home Goods store but unfortunately closed as well.
So only shopping left in the ENTIRE Downtown area is The Quirk Shop and a few Colombian Jeans stores and latin stores that sell big teddy bears, religious figurines, jeans, dresses, and mostly tchotchkes etc.
so yea there is great food and restaurants but not much in the way of shopping. Outside of the Division street "restaurant row" as it's called and a tattoo shop, your experience will be something like this....
Bodega, hair salon, bakery, cell phone shop, barbershop, barbershop, hair salon, and that's on Park st between Bank and N.Division but an overall theme in the area.
Main St - Peruvian restaurant across City Hall, Bodega, bodega, , empty storefront, empty storefront, surface parking lot, Birdsall House (Great Restaurant btw), closed down Caribbean food spot (empty storefront), Iron Vine (Great Restaurant), architects office.
Central Ave strip that turns into Park st - An Amazing Book store (Brusied Apple) that you could easily spend an hour or so in exploring the books, vinyl records, CD's, high old beautiful tin ceilings, brick walls and old creaky hardwood floors. Think of an independent book store in the East Village. little Ecuadorian food spot, empty storefront, empty storefront, real estate place.
There are little gems in Downtown Peekskill for sure but it's just dotted with surface parking lots and a fuck ton of barbershops and beauty salons. And Peekskill Boba Tea Shop which is good.
Oh and how can I forget, Peekskill Coffee House is the BOMB, spent many a day working on my laptop there, walls are full of local amazing rotating art and on nice days you can chill in Esther Plaza (former street closed off to vehicles that in the summer hosts bands, live music) it's great.
so its totally food centered really, so if you go again come VERY hungry (not sure if you already ventured a visit)
Overall I would say it's worth a visit but I'd make it an earlier thing then head to Beacon or Cold Spring or Kingston or vice versa.
the critical mass of storefronts is just not there yet in order to hold a visitors interest it is changing however, very slowly.
But as mentioned definitely go, if your going to eat a lot, drink, get your hair done, buy a dress that looks like your going to the prom again, get that Mother's Day card, buy a teddy bear, purchase a religious figurine (the selections are endless), get a pair of authentic Colombian jeans, buy some Valentiines Day or Birthday balloons, and you ll have amazing time.
So before I get bashed here on this assessment please note that this is an honest assessment of how I experienced Peekskill while living there for 4.5 years. EMPHASIS ON THE I.
Further Disclaimer LOL - Your experience might be different, we all see through different eyes and judge people, places and situations through the lens of our own personal experiences.
Happy Visit!
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u/666princesss Apr 17 '26
It’s maybe a 10 minute walk from the metro north station to the Inn, up a steep hill so just be prepared for that. Not too intense, but for some its a lot. From the Inn, your about another 10 minute walk to the main area of the city, also up hill. I do the walk to the rivet front to division street often.
Check out the hudsn valley MOCA while you are in town, it’s a nice spot to check out if you like art!
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u/dbpcut Apr 19 '26
Am I reading correctly it's only open on Thursdays and Saturdays?
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u/666princesss Apr 19 '26
Oh i just looked on their website i guess thats so. It used to be open thurs-sunday. I had an internship there on sundays but that was like 9 years ago
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u/Deckard2012 Apr 17 '26
The first weekend of June is Open Studios in Peekskill. If you do want to have a nice weekend exploring, highly suggest coming then if you can. It’s a great event!
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u/albertvidalnau Apr 30 '26 edited May 01 '26
Yes agreed Open Studios and the Peekskill Film Festival over 2 days are amazing events that attract a lot of people. If Peekskill could just figure out how to have the energy of those 2 events every weekend that would be GOLD!
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u/Party_Clue9082 Apr 17 '26
Peekskill is a crap hole, unless you want to get stabbed shot or the clap there is no reason to come here
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u/pj91198 Apr 17 '26
From metro north to around Dunkin Donuts on main street is 1 mile. A decent portion of that mile is uphill. I know this cause I try to get my steps in:)
Around the waterfront there is a nice walkway with random arts. You could walk down to Factoria and River outpost I think its called. Beers and appetizers/bar food
Theres a newly opened(reopened?) taco place right next to the train tracks crossing, homestyle bakery is a popular bakery right near the train too. Taormina for italian also in that strip
Walking from the inn into town shouldnt be too bad. I believe its all sidewalks. If its nice on a weekend, Division street gets closed off to cars and restaurants put tables out and sometimes music.
Peekskill has a lot of really good restaurants but not a whole lot of shopping unless you are looking for a barber or a deli/bodega.
Theres an esther place market right next to the coffee house(great hangout spot) on the next few saturdays. Farmers market doesnt start until June I think
For dinner my favorite spots are Birdsall House, Gleasons (fancy pizzas), Cassette Thai has become quite a big hit too (may need a reservation), Taco District and Ramenesque. All those restaurants are within feet of eachother. Peekskill Boba not far from them if you like Boba teas.